Documents required

Removal goods - personnel of foreign resident offices.

· Baggage declaration form.
· Chinese residency permit (green card)
· Application for import of personal effects.
· Application for Customs sealed letter.

The Baggage declarative form applies to all accompanied and unaccompanied baggage. It is completed on arrival at the port of entry in China, and details items of value, which must then be re-exported when the passenger leaves the country.
Application for the Chinese residency permit is made after arrival in China. It must be accompanied by a medical certificate (absence of communicable diseases), a letter of employment certification from the resident office in China, a copy of the resident office registration papers, and the completed application form to the local Public Security Bureau. It will normally take between 3 and14 days to issue.
FTER the residency permit (green card) is issued, the expatriate makes application for duty free import of personal effects to the local customs bureau ANYTHING listed and approved in this application can then be imported duty free, within the next 6 months only.
It should of course include any other items the expatriate thinks he might want to import during the next 6 months.
For each shipment coming in to an expatriate, a Customs Sealed letter must be obtained. The application form lists items included in the shipment, and is accompanied by the approved Customs List, the Green Card, the arrival Baggage Declaration Form, and Passport. Three copies of the form are needed. One is given back to the expatriate, one is retained by customs, and one is put in a sealed envelope to be given eventually to the agent arranging customs clearance.

This category applies to expatriates employed by and working for a foreign company's office that is REGISTERED in the city where they will reside in China.
Also, it is assumed they will be resident in China from 6 months to 4 year period.
Note that customs officers are given broad discretion, and actual procedures may vary from city to city, from customs officer to customs officer, and from day to day. Contact your agent for current advice.

Removal goods - Foreign experts.

· Foreign Expert certification.
· Application for import of personal effects (same procedure as for personal of foreign resident offices, but using the Foreign Expert Certification instead of the green card.
· Application for customs sealed letter (same procedure as for personnel of foreign resident offices

The Chinese host must provide a letter certifying the expatriate as a Foreign Expert, together with a completed Foreign Expert Registration form. These will enable the required certification to be obtained from the local customs bureau.

This category applies to expatriates who will typically be assigned to work as a seconded staff to a Chinese organisation or will be employed by a Sino-Foreign Joint-Venture.
Again, note that Customs officers have broad discretion, and treatment can vary significantly.
Contact your agent for current advice.

Removal goods - Diplomatic personnel.

· Declaration by Embassy or Consulate on special form that the shipment is diplomatic.

Duty free.
Clearance is made on the basis of this form.
No Customs inspection necessary.

Household appliances and electrical items.

Same procedures as for household goods.

Such items can be imported as part of a household removal, but no more than one of any item.
Most electrical items are taxable.

Customs is concerned to register all electric and electronic items to prevent them being sold in China.
Brand same and model number of each item should be clearly shown on packing lists.

Representative offices of foreign companies and Joint Venture offices are allowed to import duty free a range of items and equipment.
Such items should be listed under their own import licence, however, because all items imported by their personnel have to be exported when the personnel depart China.

Cars and Mini-vans.

Import restrictions are governed at the local level. Some cities allow one private vehicle per family; some do not under any circumstances.
Sometimes restrictions are imposed on type and size of vehicle, and some taxes are applicable.

Contact your agent for specific advice and information.

  Food.

Same procedures as for household goods.

Non-perishable food can be imported in reasonable quantity in the first shipment.

Food shipments on an on-going basis may be permitted to expatriates living in remote areas, or where imported food is not readily available.

Prescription drugs.

Copy of prescription stating type of drug and dosage.

Import permitted for personal consumption for a period up to a year.

Video tapes, Video laser disks, books, magazines, and documents.

Such items will be removed at the time of customs inspection, and will be inspected by a special bureau.
Any items containing pornographic material will be confiscated, and a fine may be levied on the owner.

Firearms, ammunition, drugs, pornographic and politically subversive material.

  Import strictly forbidden.

  Cats and dogs

Some provinces of China impose severe restrictions and high registration fees on dogs. Check with your destination agent before deciding to import any pets.